


'Cause I'm dying just to make you see

by r0nj4



Category: Downton Abbey
Genre: Alcohol, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Fluffy, Jimmy is foul-mouthed, M/M, Thomas is a bit drunk
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-01
Updated: 2017-07-01
Packaged: 2018-11-22 01:12:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,358
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11369451
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/r0nj4/pseuds/r0nj4
Summary: Thomas and Jimmy go to a pub.





	'Cause I'm dying just to make you see

**Author's Note:**

> I don't know what this is. I wrote this a long time ago and never published it. Then I thought what the hell, maybe this lil' story will make like ONE person smile and that would be really nice.

”Oh fuck,” Thomas muttered. 

”What’s the matter?” Jimmy asked.

They sat next to each other in a booth at _Bransons_ , the local Irish pub. 

”Just, look away or something,” Thomas whispered through gritted teeth as he stared down at his own shoes. It was way too warm in the pub already; the thick July-heat mixed with the scent of Jimmy’s cologne had Thomas stripped to his shirt sleeves. Seeing Philip walk through the door didn’t make it any better. 

”What are you on about?” Jimmy complained.

 

Thomas had worked with Jimmy Kent for six months. He had been in love with Jimmy Kent for at least five of those, possibly more. He wasn’t really sure anymore. Jimmy, however, didn’t show any signs of interest. In fact he often made remarks of how ”delicious” Ivy, a PA for one of Thomas’s bosses, looked. Instantly Thomas had made a similar comment about Andy Parker, an other PA, even though it wasn’t at all true. He simply didn’t want Jimmy to hear about his _proclivities_ from anybody else. Jimmy had raised his eyebrows in surprise for a second only to simply answer: ”Isn’t he a bit too young for you, Thomas?” with a grin. Thomas had shrugged and walked away feeling muddled.

 

Thomas glanced at Jimmy for a second only to find his eyes keenly following Philip as he made his way through the pub.

”Stop staring!” 

”Oh, he looks like a right sod,” Jimmy smiled.

Thomas looked at him with a frown.

”Oh, right, sorry,” Jimmy said quickly. 

When they both looked up again, Philip was walking towards them with a huge smile on his lips. He was impeccably dressed, as usual, in dark corduroy trousers, a cream button-up and an emerald green bowtie around his neck. Jimmy’s observation had been fair of course. Philip _did_ look like a right sod. His choice in attire always seemed ridiculous in an every day setting, although to be fair, Thomas himself had been rather smitten with it while they had been together. 

”Thomas, dear old chap!” Philip said with a warm smile.

Actually, quite a few things about Philip seemed ridiculous in an every day setting.

”Philip,” Thomas plastered on one of his most charming smiles. ”Slumming it tonight, are we?”

They sound of Jimmy giggling next to him warmed his heart.

”Ah, you haven’t changed I see,” Philip still had his smarmy grin. ”How are things?”

”Fine.”

”Not too conversational tonight, then?” Philip asked. ”Oh, but you’re busy I see.” He cast an insinuating glance over at Jimmy. Poor Jimmy. Poor, innocent, Jimmy who shouldn’t ever have to be exposed to Philip's ravenous stare. To Thomas’s great surprise Jimmy only smiled, and leaned back in the booth, casually throwing an arm around his shoulders.

”Indeed,” Jimmy said sounding rather smug.

”Wonderful, Thomas darling,” Philip responded after having composed himself for a second following the sudden sign of actual affection from Jimmy’s side. ”He’s lovely, good for you.”

”Isn’t he?” Thomas wound his arm around Jimmy’s waist and pressed them tighter together as he grinned larger than he’d done in months. He would have to thank Jimmy later. 

”You two have a marvelous evening boys, I’ve got to dash!” 

And without further ado Philip sauntered off. When he was once again out of their sight Thomas broke into a sudden laugh, and Jimmy quickly joined in. 

” _Gotta dash!”_ Jimmy mimicked Philip’s upper-class accent. ”Bloody hell,” he continued to mutter under his breath as he released himself from Thomas’s grip. 

”I know,” Thomas rolled his eyes. ”Thank you Jimmy, honestly.”

”Is _he_ your type?” Jimmy looked appalled.

”Ah, well…”

”He was ridiculous!”

Thomas shrugged and took a sip of his ale.

”You can’t be serious, did you two go out?”

Thomas nodded behind his pint. ”He was my boyfriend, actually. For two years.”

”Two years?!” Jimmy nearly shouted. ”What, did he have a magic cock?”

Thomas choked on his beer and coughed. He took a second to ponder Philip’s cock, although by now the finer details had almost completely faded from memory. They had broken up nearly five years ago. 

”Not really, to be honest,” he finally answered, feeling brave from the three beers he’d enjoyed.

”Then _why?!_ ” Jimmy pouted. Thomas thought he looked adorable.

”He was exciting, I guess. Rich. Handsome. All that.”

Jimmy sipped his gin and tonic and shook his head. ”God no, you could do so much better.”

Thomas felt a tightness in his chest as he saw the pout still present at Jimmy’s face.

”Could I, though?”

”Most certainly,” Jimmy’s face was blank. ”You’re a lot fitter than that sod.”

”When did you become such an expert?” 

Thomas was starting to get a bit annoyed. Jimmy really had no right to question Thomas’s choice in men, when he was so obviously committed to the appearances of women. Jimmy shrugged, and turned to look at the beer mat on the table. He started fiddling with it, never seeming to be able to keep his hands still. 

”I know things,” Jimmy mumbled.

Thomas chuckled. ”Oh, you know things do you? I believe myself to be more of an expert in this area, thank you very much.”

”Yeah, right, whatever,” Jimmy muttered before taking an other quick sip of his drink.

Thomas was confused. What was Jimmy saying?

”Always going on about how fit Andy _bloody_ Parker is every minute of the day, we can’t all be like that can we?” Jimmy wasn’t looking at Thomas as he spoke.

”What?! You started it! Saying all those things about Ivy,” Thomas had raised his voice without really meaning to. Ale tended to lead to such things.

”Yeah, well, whatever you say,” Jimmy stuttered while rolling his eyes. He was adorable. Looking so grumpy. Thomas wanted to lean in and kiss him. But that wouldn’t be alright would it? Hm, no. Best not.

”I don’t get you Jimmy Kent,” Thomas smiled. 

”What’re you smiling about? S’not funny!”

That’s when Thomas saw the hint of sadness in Jimmy’s eyes. Was he? No… couldn’t be.

”Jimmy,” Thomas looked at him with a coy smile. ”You’re not jealous are you?”

Jimmy started twisting in his seat and flipped the beer mat around rather viciously.

”O’ course I am,” he said under his breath. Thomas wondered if he’d suddenly gone hard of hearing.

”What?!” he hissed.

”Of course I’m bloody jealous! Are you happy now?!” Jimmy finally looked into his eyes.

Thomas thought back to how uncomfortable Jimmy always seemed around Andy; scowling, never laughing at the PA’s jokes, rushing off whenever the three of them where in the same room. 

”Oh.”

”Oh, yeah.”

Thomas felt his palms grow clammy and his heart beat rapidly.

”Believe me Jimmy, you have no reason in the world to be jealous of Andy Parker,” he said and attempted a smile. It was difficult, with Jimmy so close. And made even more difficult by the alcohol pumping through his blood.

”I don’t?” Jimmy asked.

He was looking down again, focusing all his attention to a scratch in the table. 

”God no.”

Thomas didn’t really know how to handle this new information coming from Jimmy. Did it mean he was interested? Or was he only a bit disappointed at not being special? Jimmy had been called vain by more than one person, and certainly more than once. He always seemed to carry himself with a certain confidence. That confidence was all gone now, as he sat moving his index finger slowly over the scratch in the table.

”Does this mean -” Thomas started, pausing to push back the fringe which had fallen over his eyes. ”I mean. Do you…?”

Thomas had one hand firmly around his pint while the other hovered awkwardly in the air, very much like the question that he was too afraid to ask. Jimmy looked at him, brows tightly knit together. His emotions always seemed so clearly written on his face. Now he looked at Thomas as if Thomas was a bit daft. A bit silly. 

”Christ, Thomas,” Jimmy huffed, his lips crooking into something resembling a smile. ”There is a _B_ in LGBTQ for a reason, you know.”

 

**Author's Note:**

> I'm sorry for the very silly One Direction lyric title.


End file.
